Australian women have reacted with anger over one question in the 2021 Census.
While there were plenty of questions involved in the five-year survey, some people found the topic about pregnancy quite controversial.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics wanted to know how many children the female applicant had given birth to.
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Molli Sarafov told news.com.au that the wording of the question is incredible blunt and there wasn't an option for miscarriages or stillbirths.
"I was in tears," she said. "I wasn't sure what to write and I tapped the button for more information, but that just said something about how the ABS was trying to record statistics on the age of fertility of women, so didn't help anyone in my situation answer the question."
She had recently lost her baby to stillbirth and was surprised the ABS wouldn't give women the ability to say they were pregnant but didn't give birth.
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The section also told people to leave out adopted, foster and step children.
But Molli isn't alone and many people appeared to be caught off guard by the question.
Red Nose co-chief executive Jackie Mead said the ABS should have taken more consideration to how that question might have impacted some women.
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"It was worded so poorly and could be so offensive to so many women, including the many who have lost a baby," she said.
"Sadly, one in four Australian pregnancies end in miscarriage and one in 135 ends in stillbirth. This is an issue that affects so many women.
"Many women have told us today they are upset and confused about the abrupt way this question was worded and many were left in tears while completing their census."
But that wasn't the only controversial section of the 2021 Census.
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Aussies were frustrated by the lack of trans and non-binary awareness in the questions about sex and others were confused about why the government wanted to know how much unpaid housework was done by each individual.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Australia
